Richard Patrick of Filter Reveals How Chris Cornell Helped Him Get Sober

Now, Patrick has opened up about the untimely death of another iconic hard rock frontman, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. Cornell's toxicology report recently revealed that he had taken the sedative Butalbital and four tablets of the anti-anxiety medication Lorzepam (Ativan) before his suicide.

Patrick tells Clrvnt that Cornell was instrumental in helping him get sober years ago.

After coming to the decision that he needed to get help more than a decade ago, Patrick checked into a rehab center in Malibu right after finishing a tour. He describes arriving at the clinic and feeling so weak that he could barely get his luggage into the building.

"[You] check yourself in and they take a picture of you; because if you died, they wanted to make sure they could identify the body," he recalls. "And I get there, they're like, 'Yeah, we got some guy here, too, some band Gardens of Sound -- his name is Chris.'"

Knowing Cornell was there made Patrick feel better about his decision. But as an atheist, he quickly considered leaving when he realized the clinic ran a 12-step program.

"I'm not going to church," he recalled thinking, "I'm not doing any of that. That's when Chris was like, 'Hey, dude, it's not about religion, it's not about anything -- it's about what you bring to the program and how can help each other stay sober. And by doing that, you help yourself stay sober. Now I know it feels goofy, but you just gotta do it.'"

Patrick says Cornell, who is considered one of the greatest rock singers and songwriters of his generation, "legitimized" the program in his eyes.

"For some reason, I needed someone I respected to sit there and tell me that," Patrick says.

He goes on to say that Cornell's tragic death last month was a symptom of a lapse in his sobriety.

"He started taking more pills than he should've, and it means you're out on your sobriety...You have to follow directions [of your doctor], especially with Ativan..."

Filter just released a new music video for its song "Mother E" from the band's most recent album, Crazy Eyes, which you can watch hereorhere.

Photo: Getty Images

Jonathan 'JC' Clarke

ON AIR: Sundays 7PM - 9PM. Jonathan Clarke joined Q104.3, New York's Classic Rock, as an on-air personality in 1997 and continues to be a mainstay there. Also, since March of 2001, he has hosted and executive produced his top rated 'Out of the...Read more